Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain of the Indian women's cricket team, emotionally shared her experience as she witnessed the Indian flag being raised during the national anthem at the medal ceremony, describing it as an immensely poignant moment for her, crucial in India securing the Gold.
Mandhana, delivering a stellar performance and emerging as the highest scorer for India with an accomplished 45-ball 46, played a pivotal role in India achieving a total of 117 runs on a challenging wicket. Sri Lanka fought fiercely, but eventually fell short by 19 runs, granting India their inaugural Gold in cricket at the Asian Games.
Expressing her sentiments after the victory, Mandhana remarked, "This is truly extraordinary. We have witnessed this on television. During Neeraj Chopra's Gold-winning moment, I was playing in the Hundred. I had a match but still found some time to witness that incredible moment. Seeing that, I had tears in my eyes. And today, it felt so special, The experience of the National Anthem and the sight of India's flag being hoisted, I found it profoundly moving...I am genuinely thrilled that we could significantly contribute to India's medal count...Gold holds an unmatched significance...Delighted that we gave our absolute best today."